Libya plans to appeal an International Criminal Court ruling asking for the handover of the late ruler Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the justice minister said on Sunday."We will give what is needed to convince the ICC that Libya is capable of conducting a fair trial in accordance with international standards," the minister was quoted as saying by the state-owned LANA news agency.
Saif al-Islam is to be tried for crimes allegedly committed in 2011, when his father was being toppled.
The basis for the appeal is the rule that the ICC has no jurisdiction in cases where the country in question has a functioning legal system capable of handling its own business.
Justice Minister al-Marghani added that “A team of Libyan and international experts are working on preparing the appeal." But the ICC worries that Saif al- Islam is currently not in the government’s custody, instead being held by the rebels in an area where the government has very little authority.
But the Libyan government is keen on showing its people that it intends to personally punish anyone who was close to Gaddafi during the former ruler’s reign.
Human rights activists are showing concern that such trials do not meet international standards.
